Lavrov Meets With UN Syrian Envoy To Discuss Truce Efforts

The United Nations' special envoy for Syria travels to Moscow on May 3 to try to further efforts to reestablish a peace process and cease-fire in Syria.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and discuss additional efforts the global community should take to resolve the Syrian conflict, including extending the cease-fire to regions of the country where fighting continues.

Moscow maintains regular contacts both with the Syrian government and representatives of various opposition groups, and thus has opportunities to further the settlement talks.

However, last month's round of talks ended on April 27 with no major results, after which the ground war intensified with a burst of lethal fighting in Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

Lavrov on May 2 spoke with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about the flagging truce, and the pair "agreed on new measures to be taken by Moscow and Washington," a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said, without providing details.